


nothingness

by orphan_account



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Amber gets bullied for having a blind brother, Amber is the best older twin in the world tbh, Andi has prosopagnosia, Buffy Has PTSD, Cyrus has trust issues because of his parents' divorce but his friends understand, F/F, F/M, Jonah has heterochromia, M/M, Marty is colourblind, Reed and Lester are just playground bullies from the past but they're mentioned, T. J. Kippen & Amber Are Siblings, TJ and Amber have shitty parents, TJ is blind, Walker is trans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-10-21 17:17:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 13,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17646665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: or, some teens went through some shit but they're sticking together because that's what friends do.





	1. unus

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER
> 
> I am not anything mentioned, nor do I know any people with these things. All information used in this piece of fiction is what i have learnt through the research I have done. If any information is incorrect, please correct me and understand that I do not mean to be or come off as rude or insensitive, for that is not my intention.

It's said that blind people have more nightmares than most. TJ would be able to confirm this, as he had them very often. They wouldn't always be the same, but a lot of the time they were. From the accident.

Almost eight years ago, TJ and his sister, Amber, had been sitting on the roof of their house. Their parents were at work, and would've scolded them for deciding to climb up there. 

The sky was a yellowish colour, like lemonade, and everything that was underneath the yellow skies were dark. It was summertime, and it was approaching seven thirty. The afternoon had been sunny and beautiful, getting ever so slightly more warm. 

TJ and Amber had been sitting on the roof overlooking their front garden, after their father had left his ladder leaning against the wall, and were talking and joking; they were surprisingly close for a brother and sister, and even more so for twins, but the two rarely fought and got along well. 

Amber had stood up, much to the surprise of TJ, and began walking across the roof. Her pink, sparkly sneakers made a slight squeak as they moved, from last night's downpour that still hadn't dried, even though the weather that day had been relatively warm, and her hands were outstretched; she looked like a child pretending to be a plane, her fingertips meeting the sky. TJ thought she looked so peaceful. 

TJ, having always idolised his sister and wanting to be like her, had climbed up and began copying her movements. 

As another pair of squeaks (this time coming from a pair of green dinosaur sneakers) could be heard, Amber turned her head a little, looking at her slightly taller, yet younger by a few minutes (she would never let him forget it though), brother and gave him a small smile. He smiled back, and had not been focusing on where his feet were. 

He did not notice, until he had been close to hitting the ground. The younger of the two had tripped, letting out a very loud scream, and fell down, landing on the lawn.

Amber climbed down, running over to his body. He only knew just how emotionally scarring it was for his sister to see him that way when the two had begun to get older. 

She had been forced to call an ambulance and her parents, all while holding her brother's limp, warm body in her arms. He was still breathing, for she could see his chest rising and falling. She was so lucky the boy had ended up surviving, although he probably still wished he didn't (this was an issue he dealt with a lot).

He had woken up suddenly in the hospital, but he couldn't see anything. It was not black, or white, it was nothingness. 

He could not see his sister, or mother, but could hear the voices of both. He had decided they had simply turned the lights off, but it was so much more than that.

It was the beginning of an empty life, a constant struggle, but also a life filled with opportunity and new experiences. Because that's what led him to meet the people who made TJ him.

❝Hey, who turned off the lights? The dark is scary...❞ TJ cried.

No light came.

❝Mommy, what's wrong with TJ?❞ Amber's voice shook, clinging to her mother.

❝Amber, honey...❞ The woman began, crouching down to Amber's side and placing her hands on the young girl's shoulder.

❝TJ can't see anymore...❞

And then he woke up. Nothingness consumed him again, and he clicked his tongue. Ever since the accident, he had learnt various ways to get around, and echolocation was one of them.

From that sound, Amber knew he had awoken, and called him to the kitchen. He easily got dressed and navigated his way to the kitchen, Amber leading him to his chair.

❝It's just cereal.❞ Amber said to him.

He nodded, before playing with his food.

His head filled with thoughts about how his first day at Jefferson Middle School would go, and let out a sigh.

❝I'll be spending lunch with Andi,❞ - who TJ knew was Amber's girlfriend - ❝but you're welcome to join us.❞

And TJ, nodding, knew he wasn't going to.

He knew Amber had good intentions, but he wanted to make friends by himself, and how was he supposed to do that when he wouldn't leave his sister's side?

Before him and Amber left, he grabbed his cane. He hated it, it made him stick out like a sore thumb. However, it was cheaper and less work to have a cane than a guide dog.

By the time TJ arrived at his first lesson, everyone knew about the new blind boy. However, no one in his class particularly cared about his disability, and by the end of the lesson he had two best friends, Walker and Jonah.

They were the perfect friends. They weren't those people who shuddered and backed away when they saw him, as if blindness was a disease, nor were they the overbearing type who try and do everything for a blind person, thinking they don't know how to do things themselves. They reminded him of Amber.

It was the first lesson of the year, so all the teacher did was talk. TJ wasn't interested in what the teacher was saying, and it was obvious to the boys on the table with him, because they began saying things about how they, too, thought the teacher was annoying and how the speech was boring, something they had heard a million times before throughout the years they had spent there. The whole of that lesson was spent joking and talking and having fun. TJ felt, for the first time, like he wasn't blind. 

Because Walker and Jonah didn't treat him that way. They treated him like a normal person, and he was happy. Amber was the only other person who really treated him like he wasn't blind.

His parents were like the people who considered his blindness a disease, and didn't like being around him that much. They usually made Amber do all the chores that involved doing anything for TJ. When he was younger, his parents were slightly nicer, but it seemed they were no longer okay with a blind child.

Ever since him and Amber were young, the two had lots of plans and dreams, but since the accident he never would be able to do what they wanted to. 

He would never be able to drive, or use a phone or anything the twins had wanted to do. But Amber would, and that made him feel slightly better about the situation.

❝TJ, do you want to sit with us at lunch?❞ Walker had asked when the students were packing up during their last lesson before lunch.

He thought for a moment, deciding that he would, and nodded, before picking up his cane. He was not very happy about having it, and even sometimes considered it a burden, and knew it made him stick out, but he would be a lot safer with it than without it.

Walker and Jonah had decided to walk with him to show him the table. He almost would have walked straight into it, if it wasn't for his cane hitting the table leg.

The two went into the dinner line, leaving TJ at the table alone. Amber made him a packed lunch instead of putting money on his food card. 

He sat alone for barely a minute when he heard someone talking to him. 

❝Hey.❞ The voice came from a boy, he knew it. The only boys voices he knew belonged to Walker and Jonah and it definitely wasn't either of them.

❝Are you talking to me?❞ He asked.

❝Yep!❞ The boy said, popping the 'p'.

❝Why? Is it because I'm a freak? Did your friends dare you to come over here?❞

❝What? No! I don't think you're a freak! Neither do Buffy or Marty!❞ He exclaimed.

His voice had shaken a little as he spoke.

❝I'm sorry, it's just that I wouldn't put it past anyone to play such a prank on me.❞

❝Oh... I'm Cyrus. Don't worry, I dont think you're gross or anything for being blind like most people.❞

Cyrus looked around, glaring at the people he saw whispering and looking at TJ.

❝Can I sit with you?❞

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the reason it says 'started 2-1-19' is because this story was originally uploaded to my wattpad.


	2. duo

TJ gave the boy a smile and a slight nod. He couldn't see Cyrus, but if he could he would know the smile on his face was huge.

❝TJ, right?❞ Cyrus asked.

He nodded. 

❝How did you know?❞

❝We're in the same class, we just haven't had seats near each other in any of them yet. There's still one more lesson though!❞

TJ could already tell the boy was an optimist from how cheerful and lively he seemed to be.

Nothingness. That's all that TJ could see. But he wishes he could see. Because he bets that Cyrus' smile is as wonderful as his personality.

❝I really hope we can sit by each other.❞ TJ whispered.

❝Me too.❞ He replied.

For the rest of lunch, the two sat there and spoke. Walker and Jonah were there too (Marty and Buffy were practising for their upcoming basketball game so they could not be there), and took part in their conversation but before they did, him and Cyrus talked about small, unimportant things, and both still enjoyed their chat.

TJ had found it weird how close they became after one conversation.

As the bell rang for last lesson, TJ secretly hoped he would be sitting by Cyrus. He picked up his cane and bag after putting all of its contents back in, and so did Cyrus.

They walked side by side to their last lesson, still talking and being enthusiastic as ever. Even though they were heading to class, that couldn't bring down either of their moods. 

Everyone in their class walked in and looked at the whiteboard with their seating plan on it.

There were girls squealing and hugging, happy that they were sitting next to each other, while the boys who were sat next to each other high fived.

Others sighed as they looked at the board. They seemed unhappy with their seats.

They all had a secret hope that they would get moved later on during the school year so they could sit by their friends, or at least people more bearable than the ones they have to sit by.

Cyrus was delighted to see their names next to each other on the board.

They had not taken their school photos yet. This meant they could not rely on photos to figure out where they sat; it actually took Cyrus a few minutes to find exactly where the two were going to sit.

❝TJ, we're sitting together!❞ Cyrus squealed.

He led TJ to their seats (after a couple of failed attempts in which TJ kept accidentally hitting people, including Cyrus, in the leg with his cane) and the whole lesson was once again just a talk, but were told to begin reading their books. 

TJ had the same as everyone else, except his was written in braille. He knew how to read it easily and had immediately began learning how to read it since he went blind. 

He read for a bit until Cyrus spoke to him quietly, despite them sitting near the back of the room and the teacher most likely not able to hear them.

❝Can you read that?❞ He asks.

❝Yes, I can, actually. Been learning since I was six. Since I went blind.❞ 

Cyrus nodded. TJ had told him all about the accident at lunch.

❝Sorry for asking...❞

Cyrus didn't sound as happy anymore.

❝It's fine. You didn't know, Cy.❞ He smiled at him.

For the rest of the lesson, TJ and Cyrus read and talked about events in the book.

When the lesson ended, Cyrus said he would see him tomorrow and packed up, before saying goodbye and leaving.

❝Goodbye, Cyrus.❞ He said, watching him leave.

❝TJ, do you want to come to my house? Walker's going to be there too.❞ Jonah asked.

❝Of course Walker's going to be there, you two can't be away from each other for more than two minutes!❞ TJ said. 

He was using the fact that Jonah and Walker were boyfriends to make jokes.

❝Shut up TJ. Now, are you coming or not?❞ Jonah asked, smacking his head in a playful way.

❝Sure. If I give you Amber's number, can you text her and say I'll be at yours?❞ He asked.

Both boys knew Amber was his sister.

❝Of course I will.❞ Jonah pulled out his phone.

When TJ had given him Amber's number and introduced himself and told Amber he was going to his house after school and Jonah's mom would drop him back home later, the three left the school.

When they arrived at Jonah's, the three had decided they would make some food to eat while they watched a movie.

Walker and Jonah were going to decide what movie they watched, simply because the two were the only ones who could watch it, and were interested in what they were going to watch.

The boyfriends had a small fight over what movie they were going to watch, but eventually they had a truce and decided on a movie.

TJ lay on the floor while Jonah and Walker cuddled on the sofa.

❝You and Cyrus certainly were buddy-buddy at lunch.❞ Walker said, in a way that seemed as if he was implying something, but TJ didn't really care.

❝What do you know about him?❞ TJ asked.

❝He's a human sunbeam, that kid. Never stops smiling. He's best friends with Buffy and Marty, but you already know that. He's gay, and has been open about it for a while, he's jewish, he wants to go to an ivy-league college... and that's about it.❞ Walker shrugged.

He knew Cyrus for a shorter amount of time than Jonah, but he had fallen asleep so he couldn't tell TJ anything about Cyrus.

❝What does he look like?❞ TJ rolled over, now on his back, staring at the ceiling.

❝Hard to explain, but he has brown eyes and brown hair and his skin is kind of pale. He's got a mole under his eye though.❞

TJ nodded.

That was enough to go off for now.

Soon enough, the sky yellowed like it did that night many years ago, and Jonah's mother had driven TJ home.

He walked up the steps, and opened the door.

The smell of lemons hit him immediately; it was somewhat homely to him. Most people would've hated the smell of the sour and bitterness that had somehow become the natural scent of the house, but TJ liked it.

Amber was in the kitchen, currently cooking them supper. She was the better cook out of the two, despite the many times she almost set fire to the house while attempting to cook, and always made him what he liked.

He sat at the table, and soon enough Amber came into the room with two plates. She set one in front of him and the other in front of an empty seat, before sitting down in it.

Their parents probably wouldn't be home until eight or nine, and definitely wouldn't want to eat what the two children liked.

❝I'm so proud of you, TJ. You're settling in so well!❞ Amber gushed.

❝Tell me about your friends.❞ She told him, her smile becoming even bigger, (if it was even humanely possible.)

❝There's Jonah, he's really nice. He likes playing ultimate frisbee. His boyfriend, Walker, he's sort of new as well, and he's a great artist, I'm sure him and Andi would get along well.❞ He said, which made Amber blush a little, thinking about her girlfriend. The girlfriend, Andi, was a very artistic girl who adored art, and making inventions out of discarded or recycled materials.

❝And then there's Cyrus...❞


	3. tres

Cyrus had decided to hang out with Buffy and Marty at lunch the next day, although he would've liked for his new friend to be there. Despite him not being a sporty person, he was best friends with the two athletes. 

The three had known each other for the longest time. First Cyrus was the lonely one, without a friend, and then Buffy came along and changed all that; and only a year later Marty did the same thing to the two friends. 

It was a very lonely existence, Cyrus Goodman lived; at breaktime he would sit alone, watching the others play.

Groups of girls would be skipping or playing hopscotch, groups of boys racing and playing ball games.

Another group would be mixed, and would be playing 'girls chase boys' and 'boys chase girls' or whatever playground games they would play.

But everyday, he would sit alone in the corner of the yard, where the stones were not all that big and there was a grassy tuft, which was not all that big to begin with, Cyrus was just an unnaturally skinny and small boy for his age.

Until another girl was in his place. The girl had been outcasted by the other girls; she didn't like pink, or dolls, or skipping like all the other girls, and the boys wouldn't let her join in on their games, so she was alone. That girl turned out to be Buffy Driscoll, the girl who made the biggest impact on his life.

❝What are you doing in my corner?❞ Young Cyrus had asked the girl sitting in his corner; not angrily, or in annoyance, he was just genuinely confused as it was his place, no one ever sat there during the time he had used it as his place.

❝This is your corner?❞ She asked, her voice shaking.

It was obvious she had no clue he sat there, and she was clearly upset over something. He wanted to find out what that was.

❝Yes, but you can stay if you want... what's wrong?❞ He asked.

❝The girls don't want to be my friend and the boys won't let me join in.❞ She said.

❝You don't need them! They're just rude people who don't like it when things, when people are different.❞ He told her with a frown on his face.

Cyrus hugged her, and made her feel better, promising he would be friends with her. She smiled and hugged him back.

❝Thanks...❞

Since that day, they had been a duo; Buffy and Cyrus, Cyrus and Buffy. Until Marty made their duo a trio. He had been outcasted by the other boys and had seeked refuge from the lonely world in their corner.

❝What's wrong?❞ Young Buffy would ask the crying Marty.

❝Reed and Lester won't let me join in their games!❞ He cried.

Buffy and Cyrus sat next to him; they hugged him, comforted him, took care of him and since that day had been part of their little group.

The three faced the world and all its challenges together, and they still do. One's struggles were the other's struggles, one's hardships were the other's hardships.

Even now, in middle school, almost ten years after Buffy and Cyrus became friends, and almost nine since Marty came, and their friendship was still going strong.

The three sat in the schools' gymnasium; Cyrus sat on the bleachers, watching and cheering. Buffy and Marty were tied; one more win and one of them would reign triumphant.

Cyrus had been trying to matchmake them for the longest time; they both had so much in common and it was obvious Marty liked Buffy.

Whenever Buffy spoke to him, Marty melted and whenever Buffy smiled at him, Marty would blush profusely and a bashful smile would form on his face.

Buffy... she wasn't like most girls. Most girls wore dresses and makeup and hated the thought of getting dirty. Buffy, however, preferred jeans and hoodies, no makeup and playing basketball.

Marty shot the final basket and won the game, which was surprising.

❝Good job, Marty!❞ Cyrus shouted, cupping his mouth.

❝Good game.❞ Buffy high fived him.

Butterflies began to flutter in his stomach. God, did he love Buffy Driscoll.

Everytime he told Cyrus he didn't like Buffy, Cyrus would just laugh. Because it was so obvious.

Buffy and Marty conversed for a few minutes before Marty began calling to Cyrus. ❝Cyrus! Me and Buffy are going to the spoon. You wanna come?❞

Cyrus nodded, running down the bleachers, almost tripping over.

They laughed, before they began the walk to the diner in which a lot of their time was spent.

Their conversation consisted of Marty saying deep things, Cyrus saying ❝Wow, that's deep!❞ and Buffy laughing at them.

Buffy's laugh was like music to his ears.

Once they arrived at the spoon, the three ordered their normal meal; a milkshake and baby taters to share between the three of them.

Cyrus was normally oblivious to such things, but Marty's crush on Buffy was just so... obvious.

Cyrus did his tater theatre; that day's show was a rendition of one of his favourite movies.

It made the two others crack a smile every time he did it.

Somehow he was able to remember every line, scene, everything perfectly.

Once it had ended, the two others began to interrogate Cyrus.

❝You need to find yourself a boyfriend. That TJ boy seems nice.❞

But Cyrus just let out a little laugh.

❝TJ? No! We're just friends! Seriously!❞

The two were not convinced.

❝Mhm...❞ They said, sarcastically, rolling their eyes and giving each other a look.

❝I don't get why you guys think we are more than that. I haven't even known him a day!❞ He scoffed, crossing his arms.

❝Yet you had a crush on Jonah and you didn't even know him for five minutes?❞ Buffy said.

❝Please don't... I seriously don't know why I liked him like that.❞ He shook his head guiltily.

Buffy sighed, changing the topic.

It wasn't the big, noticeable things that made Marty fall in love with Buffy.

It was the fact she never gave up, the fact she never felt like she had to impress anyone. Things like that were able to make Marty fall in love with her.


	4. quattuor

Amber was always there for her brother, through thick and thin and even if they were mad at each other (although it was uncommon for them to be angry at one another).

Amber started school after TJ's accident, and that made her feel alone. She wanted her brother to be there with her, but he never was. He was homeschooled because of the accident and their parents thought it was better for him. 

But it wasn't better for Amber.

All throughout the time she spent in school, she got bullied. Because she had a blind brother.

But never once in her life did she feel as if TJ was a problem or an issue, anything like that. 

She always adored her brother and never let anyone say horrible things, although they had never met him.

They told these awful rumours about TJ and Amber, and not once did she get offended about what they said about her; but what they said about her brother would make her become angry.

The poor boy never did anything to get all this mistreatment and she knew it.

Her brother was the kindest person she had ever met, and the fact he was blind was never going to change how she felt about him, or how much she loved him.

He always had been her only friend. 

Whenever she was alone, she imagined he was there, and she didn't feel quite so alone in the world.

Whenever she would come home with bruises or cuts, TJ would hug her and all her pain disappeared.

Amber's life was like a cloudy sky; nothing good about it, really. But when the sun - TJ - pokes through the clouds, the most tremendous light can be seen.

He was the only person that stayed with Amber, stuck by her side her whole life.

Andi was her first real friend. She was new to the school, and was actually quite shy, really. 

Amber thought she was like a rabbit which was being chased by foxes. Andi was... scared. Scared of everyone and everything. 

But she came up to Amber that day and asked if she would like to be her friend and changed things for the better. 

❝Hello...❞ Andi spoke to her in barely a whisper, looking at her feet.

❝Hey! I'm Amber.❞ Amber said back.

The girl looked up at her and smiled.

❝Andi. You're the girl with the blind brother, right?❞

She nodded, proudly.

She loved her brother and didn't care about his blindness.

❝I'm sorry they're saying such horrible things about him... would you like to be friends?❞

She came along with her scuffed red buckled shoes, and her dark, mysterious eyes and Amber didn't feel so alone anymore. She didn't need to pretend TJ was there because she had someone, she had Andi.

She still remembers the day she came home skipping, singing a song and searching for TJ to tell him the news; she had gotten a new friend.

❝TJ! TJ!❞ Amber called, running around the house trying to find him. He was reading. 

His braille reading wasn't the best, but he was trying.

❝What is it?❞ He asked her, excitement taking over him.

❝I made a new friend!❞ She exclaimed, jumping onto his bed, landing next to him.

❝I'm so happy for you!❞ He dropped the book on his lap (a big mistake; it hurt. A lot.), and hugged his slightly shorter sister.

❝Her name's Andi. She's such a nice person. She asked me to be her friend! Me! Instead of anyone else!❞

TJ gave his sister a fond smile. He loved her a lot, and still idolised her although the two were almost nine.

Amber brought Andi to their house once. She was kind to TJ. She liked TJ, unlike everyone in Amber's class.

She couldn't cook, so she had to make them food in the microwave.

Admittedly, it was too cold because Amber didn't understand how long she had to have it in there for, but Andi was so impressed.

Because her best friend, her best friend, Amber Kippen knew how to use a microwave and a toaster.

Andi's parents didn't trust her around any of those things (although by that point she was almost twelve; Amber had her twelfth birthday only a month or so before then but Andi's birthday would be the month after her visit).

Amber never had to ask herself if she liked girls. She knew it since she was twelve.

Andi was the first girl she liked. Andi had changed so much in the past five years; when they met, she was skittish and shy and always wore the same red buckled shoes.

But now? Andi had come out of her shell. Instead of red buckled shoes, it was red sneakers that were never done up. Instead of dresses, it was bright jackets and jeans.

And Amber loved her.

She was constantly cracking jokes and making friendship bracelets and sketching and painting. And she adored it all.

She couldn't imagine a life without Andi, because Amber was no longer a cloudy sky. All she had was sunlight - TJ and Andi.

And she only wanted to see sun for as long as she lived.

Because TJ and Andi were the ones who really knew Amber.

They knew her better than the people who had judged her (and her brother) without even knowing the person that was there, in front of them.

TJ had known Amber longer, yes, but did the time really matter if Andi knew what Amber was going to say before she even said it? Or how she shared Amber's biggest dreams and how in the span of almost half the time she knew her brother, they had become closer than friends should be?

And that's how one pink lemonade winter afternoon found Amber and Andi walking home together from the park, hand in hand, hearts beating for each other, now knowing what the other's lips tasted like.

Amber had asked Andi to meet her there; as the brown eyed angel began walking up to her, she became speechless.

The girl had struggled to get the question past her lips, but somehow, she did.

❝Will you be my girlfriend?❞ 

And with a nod and a kiss, Andi had given Amber the answer she hoped for, wanted, needed.

She never wanted to let go of this girl for as long as she lived.


	5. quinque

That Saturday morning, Amber had decided to spend the night at Andi's, and left TJ a message in braille.

Running his hand over the bumps, he knew what it said.

Dear TJ,  
I am spending the weekend at Andi's. Knowing you, you have woken up late and Mom and Dad have already left for work.   
I left you some food. Hope Dad hasn't eaten it.  
Love, Amber

He smiled. There was a sticker next to 'Love Amber' which was a small heart.

He had found the food relatively easily. She had labelled each one.

He smiled at how much time she must've put into all of this.

Amber always tried her best to make life easy for her brother.

That afternoon, TJ decided he would go to The Spoon. Amber had taken him there once; he remembered the way and successfully navigated his way to the diner.

He opened the door and stepped inside, the smell of food instantly hitting him.

He barely stepped inside before he heard a voice calling him.

❝TJ!❞

Cyrus. Cyrus, his new best friend.

❝Hi Cy!❞ 

He found his way to Cyrus' table, and Buffy and Marty were there too, as Cyrus explained.

❝Buffy and Marty are here too. You can sit by me.❞

TJ waved and slipped into the spot next to Cyrus.

❝Cyrus has told us all about you.❞

❝Awe, did you really, Underdog?❞ 

He had started using the nickname since their previous hang out only two days ago.

❝Well... I said I spent lunch with my new friend TJ and they asked about you.❞ He glared at the two because they were twisting up events.

❝Haha, okay Underdog.❞ He said.

❝We were just about to order. Do you want something?❞

❝I'll have whatever you're having.❞ TJ shrugged.

And half an hour later, Cyrus and TJ were sharing baby taters. Buffy and Marty surprisingly didn't make an excuse to leave the two 'lovebirds' alone.

❝Cyrus told me you guys are on the basketball team.❞ TJ said, trying to start a conversation.

❝Yeah! Buffy's the best person on the team!❞ Marty put his arm around her, squeezing her to his side, before she pushed him off.

❝Well... I can't disagree with that.❞ She laughed a little.

TJ liked them already. Two kind souls that were perfect for each other.

The conversation went on for a couple of hours; they had finished their food, but still, the group of friends sat there. TJ fit so easily into that group, it made him and Cyrus (but mostly Cyrus) happy.

TJ and Cyrus weren't that athletic; his parents (nor him or Amber) had the time to hire special services for the blind so they could do sports. 

Cyrus was a flimsy little creature, always being way too skinny and underweight and fragile. He would bruise too easily.

But it was okay because Buffy and Marty did enough sports for the four of them.

Buffy had enough pride, Marty had enough jokes, Cyrus had enough positivity and TJ had enough thoughtfulness for the four of them.

Each of them had something the others lacked, or had little of. And when they were together there was nothing they couldn't do.

TJ and the other three had been laughing for hours, or at least until their insides hurt.

TJ wasn't sure when Buffy and Marty had left. He was having too much fun with Cyrus. He was telling jokes, while TJ drank his milkshake and laughed.

The boy's jokes were horrible, but TJ loved them anyway.

❝TJ, I think we should go...❞ Cyrus said, grabbing his arm.

TJ pursed his lips and nodded, standing up.

TJ stood up too. 

❝Cyrus, can I walk you home?❞

❝Yeah, if you really want to. I'll lead the way.❞

TJ knew he didn't mean to seem overbearing, he just assumed TJ didn't know the way there.

It had became a pink lemonade afternoon again as the two began walking down the sidewalk.

Cyrus didn't strike TJ as someone who would be quite superstitious, and he just proved what TJ thought was wrong.

He wouldn't step on any cracks. He just wouldn't. TJ thought that was adorable.

It was very cold and Cyrus' coat wasn't enough to keep him warm. But he wouldn't tell TJ in case he gave him his. He didn't need Buffy and Marty to make fun of it if it did happen.

Their breath a simple puff of smoke, the sky an ombre of pink and blue.

All TJ was focused on in that moment was Cyrus and how he was skipping, cleverly avoiding the cracks and singing a song. 

That boy was too positive for his own good. TJ wanted to protect him from the world.

And all Cyrus wanted to do was take the blows for TJ.

He wasn't in love - no, that wasn't it - he just wanted to protect him. He was the first person in a while to treat Cyrus with kindness, and he wanted to do something for him.

❝Here's my house! See you Monday!❞ Cyrus said in his naturally cheerful voice.

❝See you Monday...❞ TJ said, so quietly it was barely audible.

But Cyrus heard it. And, giving him a smile, he walked inside.

And TJ wondered what he had gotten himself into, becoming friends with Cyrus.

But at the same time...

he couldn't imagine a life without him.


	6. six

Jonah had been friends with Cyrus, Buffy and Marty for a couple years. 

Not one of them knew why he was interested in being friends with them; he seemed the type to befriend Reed and Lester.

In fact, he had been friends with the two once. But it seemed they had drifted with the continuation of time and had decided he would become friends with Cyrus, Buffy and Marty instead.

Ever since he started school, he  had been self-conscious about his eyes, despite the fact barely anyone had said anything bad about them in the past thirteen years he had been alive.

Jonah had heterochromia; one of his eyes a sparkling, light blue, like glass , the other a deep brown like the trees he would climb as a young boy. 

He considered it a burden.  
Walker would consider it one of his many beauties, but then again he considered everything about Jonah as a beauty.

His parents loved his eyes. A special thing belonging to a special boy.

Special? More like a freak.

All his life, Jonah had been complimented for his eyes. Everyone thought they made him even more beautiful than he already was.

He thought his eyes were... gross, unusual, horrible, weird. 

While so many people adored them, loved them, he didn't. He carried it like a burden, hiding behind a dazzling smile and deep dimples.

Whenever he smiled, he deceived another person. If anyone who saw his smile had been told of the horrible things he saw himself as, they wouldn't believe what they heard.

Sometimes he even thought about wearing contacts. Just to make his eyes look less weird. 

Cyrus had brown. Buffy had brown. Marty had brown. Walker had brown.

TJ had green that had gone cloudy with his blindness.

Amber had blue, his parents had blue, he had a blue. But he also had a brown.

Why couldn't he have a natural eye colour?

He hated how the world worked because he had been born with such a burden.

The world had been cruel to Jonah Beck; that's what the boy believed.

But Walker could never think that. He thought Jonah had the most beautiful eyes he ever saw.

The day Jonah met Walker was one of the best of his life.

Jonah had been forced to work with Walker on a school project.

The first thing Walker had told the brown haired, nearly thirteen year old heterochromatic was

❝Your eyes are really pretty.❞

Jonah just laughed and shook his head.

❝Thanks, but it's not true...❞

❝It is, Jonah. I don't know why you would ever think that.❞ Walker frowned, taking Jonah's hand in his.

❝Everyone says they like them - but they don't mean it.❞ Jonah frowned.

❝I do mean it, Jonah.❞

His eyes were oh so beautiful to Walker.

His deep brown one was homely, contained stories and wishes. His sparkling blue one something free, contained feeling and memories.

Jonah fell in love with Walker over the course of a couple of months.

Everything Walker did, everything he said, Jonah fell in love with.

Walker was the one who asked Jonah out. It had been about half a year since they met, and the two's feelings for each other flourished like flowers blooming in the beginning of early May.

He had done it in such a cliché way; he had brought Jonah a bouquet and everything.

❝Jonah, I love you so much, I have for a while now. I can't imagine anything better than being with you. Could you ever consider being mine?❞

❝Do you really need to ask?❞ Jonah asked a big cheesy smile on his face. 

And they slowdanced under the inky skies for what felt like hours.

When TJ came along, Jonah felt like someone understood what he was going through. Both carried a big burden, and both needed someone and had someone who, when their burdens became too heavy, offered to take it off you.

Jonah had Walker, and TJ had Amber. But he knew TJ someone like Cyrus to be his world, to take the blows for him.

Jonah never felt strong. He never felt like he could really protect himself. 

But that's okay, because he had TJ and Walker by his side to do exactly that and that's all that mattered.


	7. septem

Amber had left the house early Saturday morning. Andi had invited her to stay over at her house; how could she refuse the offer?

Her house wasn't too far from the Kippen Household, probably about three or four blocks away, and Amber walked, thoughts of what would happen filled her head.

They'd paint each others nails, they'd watch movies and eat popcorn in their pajamas, at midnight they'd have a midnight snack and they'd fall asleep cuddling.

Amber smiled to herself, blushing a little.

When she had finally arrived, she didn't even need to knock the door, for Andi flew out and hugged her before she even began walking up the steps.

She smiled at her girlfriend, and held her close.

❝You really missed me, huh? Even after we talked on the phone all last night?❞

That was true; TJ had to deal with the sound of squealing, 'i love yous' and laughter all night through the paper thin walls.

You would think that for a well-off family, they would at least have thicker walls, not the ones they did, the ones that fit an apartment more than a three storey house, but their walls were extremely thin and TJ could hear their whole conversation.

It wasn't until one of the girlfriends hung up that TJ could sleep.

❝I always miss you!❞ the significantly shorter of the two exclaimed, giving Amber a quick peck on the lips.

She smiled, before dragging her girlfriend inside.

Their apartment was actually quite big; they had bought the one next to their old one so they could have an apartment double the size of their old one.

Amber adored her parents. Both were wild children in their youth, and it seemed as if they never changed.

❝Mom, Dad, Amber's here!❞ Andi called, still holding Amber's hand.

Her mother, Rebecca, or Bex as she preferred to be called, never dressed up fancily. She usually had her hair up messily and wore jeans with big, sleeveless shirts.

Her father, Steven, or Bowie as he preferred to be called, didn't dress fancy either. He usually wore things similar to Bex, and had lots of bracelets and hair.

Nothing like Amber and TJ's; both were businesspeople and were very uptight and proper, the complete opposite to Bex and Bowie.

But they gave Andi love, which Amber couldn't say their parents gave to her and TJ.

Amber smiled as the two adults walked in. She loved Andi's parents and her parents loved her. 

She wanted to be their daughter-in-law someday and Andi and her parents did too.

❝Amber, we missed you! We haven't seen you in forever!❞ The two exclaimed, hugging the blonde.

❝Haha, please, it's only been a week!❞ Amber laughed.

Before school started she and TJ had come to Andi's house to spend the day with her. And now here she was again.

Somehow, Andi was able to separate her parents from her girlfriend, because before Amber knew it, Andi was dragging her off to her room.

Amber had brought all her nail varnish because Andi had used all hers for a project and Amber had all the colours imaginable.

❝Sorry, we didn't have an extra mattress and none of us wanted you to have to sleep on the floor.❞ 

Andi frowned, gesturing to the room, where there was a very noticeable lack of another mattress.

❝Babe, it doesn't matter...❞ Amber placed her arm around her girlfriend's shoulders.

❝... Anyway, you can unpack your stuff. I was thinking, maybe we could have a picnic at the park before we do anything else?❞

Amber nodded, smiling at her girlfriend.

❝It'll just be us... I had to practically beg Bex and Bowie to let us go alone.❞

Amber laughed, before going over to the bed and unpacking her clothes to put in Andi's dresser. 

If she accidentally took something of Andi's or left something of hers, it wouldn't be a bad thing.

Andi had worn Amber's favourite hoodie once and she swore Andi looked like an angel.

When it was all unpacked, Andi went downstairs. She heard a bit of noise and then her brown eyed angel reappeared with a picnic basket and a big smile.

Bowie offered to drive, but Andi didn't take the offer. She wanted to spend as much alone time together with Amber during that day, and them walking there together was perfect.

Andi carried the basket in one hand, Amber's hand in her other.

The blonde whispered sweet nothings in her girlfriends ear as they walked, and Andi felt so, so happy with her.

After the sky had darkened and became inky, the two walked home. With full stomachs, an empty basket and hearts full of love for each other, there was no one else either of them wanted to be with, nowhere else they'd rather be.

About half an hour later, the two girls arrived back at Andi's house. Andi gave Bex the basket and began dragging Amber again.

The two girls sat in their pajamas as Amber began painting Andi's nails.

Amber had a pink and white pajama top and matching white pants, and Andi had a red and blue onesie.

She had picked a sparkly red for Andi, because she knew she loved that colour a lot.

Andi did Amber's an icy blue like her eyes; and despite how shaky Andi's hands were and how Amber's nails didn't turn out as nice as Andi's did, Amber loved it and gave her girlfriend a kiss.

The two watched their favourite movies for hours, the popcorn already finished before the first movie ended, but Andi always got them more.

And at midnight, the two snuck to the kitchen and got snacks to eat as they talked.

And when the two girlfriends got too tired to stay awake, they eventually got into bed. They had to share, but neither were mad about that.

Andi fell asleep with Amber cuddling her to her stomach and singing her songs quietly. 

If Andi didn't love Amber before, she definitely would now.

In the morning, neither wanted to get up, happy in their embrace.

But eventually, they had to have breakfast.

❝Did you enjoy sleeping here Amber?❞ Andi asked as they sat, eating breakfast. 

Amber nodded. She would be going home later on in the day, and she didn't want to leave.

She missed TJ, but she was having so much fun with her lover she just didn't want to leave.

❝That's good. I'm happy you enjoyed yourself.❞ Bex inserted herself in the situation, smiling at Amber.

She smiled back.

And when she left Andi's that morning, being walked home by her girlfriend, Amber had felt happy, happier than she has ever felt before.


	8. octo

TJ didn't know why he was hanging out so much with Cyrus lately. Yes, occasionally their other friends were there too, but he was spending a lot more time than he should've been with Cyrus if they were just friends.

Since their Saturday meetup, the two had gone to see a movie together, spent the day at the park together, took a walk together (they walked so far they had no clue how to get home and had to call Cyrus' stepdad), bought records together at the Red Rooster and even went and got ice cream together.

they did five events in the span of six days; they almost did something everyday for a whole week since that Saturday.

TJ had arrived at the school earlier than his friends (Amber was also there; she was in the same year as them, but she was in the top class with Buffy) and so him and Amber just sat in the canteen.

Amber was looking out the window. It was the second week of school, and it was starting to seem more like Autumn.

The weather was slightly colder, the leaves becoming all shades of orange, yellow, red and brown, and people were already talking about Halloween.

❝TJ... do you think you will ever meet that one person who's perfect for you?❞ She asked, leaning her chin in her palm.

Now that TJ thought about it, he never really thought about his soulmate (if they were real or not). His whole life revolved around his blindness, he never thought about anything else.

❝No. And either way, I'm sure they wouldn't like someone like me, a freak.❞

❝Well, I think Cyrus is perfect for you. And he doesn't think you're a freak.❞

That's what this was about, he thought, Cyrus. Don't get him wrong, Cyrus was an amazing person, but he didn't see him and Cyrus as anything other than friends, and he was sure it was the same for him.

❝How many times do I have to say that you guys should stop trying to set us up? It's never gonna happen, Ambs.❞ TJ shook his head.

Before Amber could reply, two people slipped into the seats next to TJ.

Jonah and... Buffy? He didn't know they were friends (He had assumed they walked together or carpooled, which turned out to be very much correct).

❝Hi TJ.❞ Buffy said.

❝If you three are trying to set me and Cyrus up again I swear to God...❞ He mumbled into his hands, very much embarrassed.

❝Are you guys bullying TJ again?❞ Came another voice. Andi.

She sat down in Amber's lap, while Amber held her in her arms.

TJ assumed they kissed from the ❝get a room!❞'s he heard from Buffy and Jonah.

As each of the other friends began to arrive, TJ felt like the sixth wheel. Marty was shamelessly flirting with Buffy, Andi and Amber were cuddling and Jonah and Walker were having a full-on make out session at their table.

TJ frowned, standing up and getting ready to leave, when Cyrus came along.

❝TJ? Are you going?❞ He asked. He had arrived last.

❝Yeah. Sorry.❞

❝Don't be. See you later, yeah?❞

❝Sure.❞

TJ kept walking along, finding himself behind the science building, breathing heavily.

He was surprised when he heard Cyrus again.

❝TJ? What happened over there?❞ He gestured to the language building, which contained the canteen.

❝It's stupid...❞ He told him.

Cyrus reached out, grabbing TJ by the lower arm, between his elbow and wrist.

❝Please tell me.❞ He said.

TJ knew he wouldn't leave him alone until he talked.

❝It's just that... all my friends have people who love them. Walker has Jonah, Buffy has Marty, Andi has Amber... and I know I'll never have someone like that. Because I'm just a freak.❞ He told him.

He had began to cry, then and there. Cyrus reached up and wiped his tears as best as he could and, with a frown, hugged him.

❝TJ, I'm sure there is someone out there who is willing to love you for who you are.❞ He told him.

TJ hugged him back, having a tighter grip on Cyrus than Cyrus did on him.

That boy was too positive for his own good. TJ wanted to protect him from the world.

There the two sat until the bell rang, in each other's embrace, talking.

TJ felt as if he had a better understanding of just who Cyrus Goodman was after that day.

❝Come on, TJ. Let's go.❞

Cyrus felt as if he needed to protect TJ, even more so after that one small conversation.

At lunch, TJ and Cyrus didn't go to their normal table.

They went back to the science building and talked. 

Their conversations always were TJ's favourite, because they were so natural and Cyrus was just... so easy to talk to.


	9. novem

Cyrus had been dealing with a lot of issues during his childhood that he carried with him into his teen years.

At a young age, his parents had gotten divorced.

Even before Cyrus was born, his parents had a rocky relationship and would fight all the time. When Cyrus was born, they tried to stop fighting and be there for their son, but it did not work out.

His parents fought all the time. It wasn't little things like what movie they were going to watch or something like that, that would be resolved by the end of the day.

Their fights were so much worse than that.

They would go on for days, or weeks at a time. They'd fight with each other, scream at each other, even physically hurt each other.

Most of the time, they were so involved in their fights they would ignore Cyrus and sometimes forget he was there.

Of course, this damaged him and his self-esteem greatly.

For the first few years of his life, he had to deal with all that and it was horrible.

He was used to it.

But what he wasn't used to was his father being away from home for days at a time.

When he was five, his father kept leaving home. At random times he would come home, but he was always drunk.

He scared Cyrus a lot. He loved his parents, but when his father was drunk he was very scary.

He wouldn't hit him, but he would hit his mum, and that scared him.

His mother wasn't surprised when her husband left them for someone else.

He just up and left one day, and Cyrus was never the same.

Because of him, he was afraid. Afraid to get attached to people in case they left him.

That's why he did not have friends when he was in school. He didn't try to befriend anyone, because he didn't know if they would stay.

Now, when it came to Buffy and Marty, he knew they would stay forever. They were going to be friends forever and he knew it. Even though Cyrus' dad left a little over two months after the three met, he trusted them and knew they would never leave.

It took him years to warm up to Jonah. He had come into the trio's life without warning when they were only nine years old.

While Marty and Buffy welcomed him with open arms, Cyrus was skeptical of his loyalty to the three and didn't even talk to him for the first few months.

The first thing he said to Jonah was celebrated within their group.

Jonah had come to their table one day lunch. Buffy and Marty said hi.

And Cyrus said it too.

❝Hi Jonah.❞ Cyrus said, quietly, barely audible.

But Jonah hugged him because he was so happy.

And Cyrus had butterflies.

With Walker, it took a while longer to warm up to him. While with Jonah, it took about just under four months or so, but it took almost a year for him to warm up to Walker.

And when his four friends hugged and congratulated him at that time, he felt happier than he ever had.

It was about three weeks to halloween now, and Cyrus and TJ had gotten closer.

TJ still had his bad times, where he felt horrible about himself, but Cyrus was always there for him.

The reason it was so easy for him to warm up to TJ was because the two were both alone. Both felt like freaks because of things they had gone through, and it brought them closer as friends.

But recently? Cyrus wasn't so sure he thought of TJ as just a friend anymore. TJ made Cyrus feel a way Jonah never did in the few months he had a crush on him.

He began feeling something new for TJ after their first hug. It made his heart beat faster, it made him feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Cyrus had been there with TJ since the first day.

Cyrus didn't think TJ was a freak. TJ didn't think Cyrus was a freak.

One day after TJ had vented to Cyrus after what happened, he asked him something.

❝How do you understand what I'm going through?❞

And Cyrus found it hard to say. The words got stuck on his tongue.

❝My dad... he left when I was younger.❞ Cyrus told him.

TJ pulled him into a hug, before he continued.

❝He made it so hard to trust people, because I got so afraid they would leave me like he did all those years ago.❞ 

❝You'd never leave me, would you TJ?❞

❝Of course I wouldn't, Underdog!❞

❝You probably would if you could see my face. I'm so gross.❞ Cyrus shook his head.

❝I bet you have the prettiest eyes. They light up when you're happy. You have a mole, but it's adorable and just adds to your beauty. You have the cutest nose, it scrunches up when you laugh and when something disgusts you.❞

❝TJ...❞ He hugs him tighter.

No one has ever said anything like that to him before. But he loved hearing what TJ thought he looked like.


	10. decem

Walker never felt comfortable in his body. Every single day, he would look at himself in the mirror and know he wasn't who he was meant to be.

He wasn't supposed to be in that body.

He knew he wasn't supposed to be a girl.

When he was younger, he pretended to like the dresses and dolls his parents bought him, even though he wanted to scream ❝I'm not supposed to be a girl!❞ at the top of his lungs.

Every day he pretended like he was who he was born as, the worse it got.

He hated his body. He hated that he was born who he was, and he was forced to be someone he wasn't.

It was not very easy, allowing himself to be dressed up the way he was.

When his mother put ribbons in his hair, he wanted to take them out. He wanted to cut his hair, do anything, to make himself look less like a girl.

Although he probably would never be able to become a proper boy like he should have been born as, he still at least wanted to be able to look like the person he knew he was supposed to be.

Meeting new people was good for him in his later years. Because he realised that if he passed as a boy, he could tell people he was and they would believe him.

And having people think he was a boy was good.

Telling his parents that he was transgender was a hard thing. He didn't know what his parents were going to think, what they were going to say, what they were going to do to him when he did.

But they were so supportive of their son. So happy that he told them. They felt horrible for dressing him up like that because he didn't like it, it made him feel even more uncomfortable as the person he was.

At the age of eleven, he moved to the school Buffy, Cyrus, Amber, Andi and Jonah attended.

Walker was okay with Cyrus not talking to him became of his... situation. He knew lots of other people go through horrible experiences and things that changes who they are and shakes them up a little.

In his first lesson, he was sat next to Jonah. He had the prettiest eyes he had ever seen.

Having eyes like that was quite a rare thing. But the boy with those eyes was even more beautiful than the eyes themselves. His hair that he looked like he spent hours on, that smelled like watermelon, his dimples that dug deeper with every smile. But  it was  the eyes that contained the most beauty.

He knew Jonah hated his eyes in only the first few minutes of sitting with him. He told him he wore contacts to change the colour when he was in public.

❝Your eyes are really pretty.❞

Jonah just laughed and shook his head.

❝Thanks, but it's not true...❞

❝It is, Jonah. I don't know why you would ever think that.❞ Walker frowned, taking Jonah's hand in his.

❝Everyone says they like them - but they don't mean it.❞ Jonah frowned.

❝I do mean it, Jonah.❞

It didn't take Walker too long to fall in love with him, maybe a couple of months at most.

Jonah knew he was trans, he had told him when they met. And whenever Walker felt horrible about his body, he would come over to him, hug him, and make him feel better.

And Walker knew he loved Jonah, and that Jonah loved him, and that was all he needed.

And that's why he bought flowers. That's why he went to Jonah's house. That's why he asked him out.

Because Jonah made him happy. Jonah made him feel like he wasn't as gross as he thought.

Jonah loved him regardless, and didn't care about anything. Because he really loved Walker, and nothing was going to change that.


	11. undecim

Andi had a reason to avoid people. She had a reason to not let herself become friends with people.

Because the more people she knew, the more people she needed to be able to recognise.

And that's bad, because she has Prosopagnosia.

She can't recognise people's faces.

She had it ever since she was but a young girl, and relied on visual clues to recognise people.

She can't remember much from before she was diagnosed. 

In fact, she had been born with it. There was no explanation, but somehow the young girl had never been able to recognise faces.

She knew people, but simply could not remember their faces, or recognise them.

She, like everyone else with it, always tried to recognise voices and physical attributes, but sometimes it became a problem.

Like when her grandmother tried to pick her up from a party at the age of eight while her parents were at work and ran away, scared, saying she didn't know her.

It was Amber's ninth birthday party. In all honesty, there was only her, Buffy, Marty, Cyrus, TJ, Jonah and a couple of other people in her class, but it was Andi's first, real party.

She didn't really know what it was that made her the way she was, but sometimes she felt like it would prevent her from living like a normal person.

She could recognise everything else. She could recognise the blue and pink ombre of Amber's favourite shirt, and the smell of her mother's perfume, but not their faces.

Amber's blue eyes were a blur, her mother's loving gaze a thing forgotten when she woke up the next day.

Her parents knew about it, and had no issue with it. She felt so horrible about forgetting her family's, her girlfriend's face, but all of them insisted that it was not her fault and that she simply could not change the fact that she had it.

She still felt guilty.

When she met Amber, she knew she was as alone as her. The both of them had been alone the majority of their life, with only family to be there with them.

Andi's parents always watched tv shows and movies. It was their favourite thing.

But Andi could never follow the storylines. With so many characters and faces, it was hard to remember who was who and what was happening between them.

While the two (and sometimes three when accompanied by her grandmother) sat and watched the show, Andi just sat and let the blur of greens, browns, blues of irises and the tangle of blonde, brunette, black and ginger hair capture her.

She hated forgetting Amber's face. Her long blonde waves and icy blue eyes were so wonderful to Andi, but she always forgot.

She would look into her eyes for hours, but by the next morning she wouldn't remember the face.

She would tangle her hands in Amber's hair, and kiss her, but when she awoke, it would be gone from her mind.

Amber was her favourite person, always. She understood her, she cared for her.

And that made her so happy.

When Amber asked her to be her girlfriend, she was so happy.

She had always been a good person to Andi.

She knew from the beginning that Amber meant the world to her and more, and was so happy Amber felt the same way about her.

She and TJ got along well; both were blind in some way (TJ being fully, Andi being face blind), and both had been alone because people didn't like them.

That pink lemonade afternoon in which Andi and Amber got together still stuck in her mind.

Though the face was not recognisable, the day was one she would always remember.

When they kissed, Andi felt the happiest she ever had been.

She felt like someone truly loved her for who she was.


	12. duodecim

Marty's condition was something straight out of a soulmate au.

You see, ever since he was young, he had the rare condition of colourblindness, and the even rarer case of not being able to see colour at all.

Sadly, it was not going to change, not even if he met his soulmate, the one he was supposed to be with.

It had been caused because of damage to the part of the brain that processes colour information.

One Autumn morning at the age of three, he was running around the house with his favourite toy plane, that he called Blue. His parents were making breakfast, leaving him in the living room alone. He ended up tripping over a wire, and hitting his head on the table.

It didn't cause too much damage to anything else, but it was enough to damage this specific part of his brain.

Hearing their only child crying from the next room over, the two came running and knelt next to the young boy.

Blue was on the ground, a few metres away from him, and Marty was lying on the ground, eyes shut.

This was the catalyst for his colour blindness.

When he was only a few years old, he learnt a word: achromatopsia. This word was the one that changed his life forever. He still remembers the exact words that were said.

❝Your son has achromatopsia.❞ The optometrist said.

And that is exactly what they were told when they went to get a proper diagnosis.

Life was hard for him sometimes. His parents and teachers all needed to label the colours of objects, such as pens, colouring pencils etc. so he knew what to use.

Of course, this was most of the reason that he felt different. No one else had to have things labelled for them.

He had long since stopped playing with Blue, and had moved on to sports. Most were easy; if he recognised the faces of the people from his team, then he would know who to pass the ball to.

At the age of four, he met Buffy and Cyrus. He had moved to their school and had become friends with most of the children. However, Reed and Lester weren't as welcoming as everyone else.

One day, the boys were all playing football, and Marty came over, huge smile on his face, and asked Reed if he could play.

❝No way! We don't want a disabled person playing with us.❞ He and Lester sneered, before running to the other side of the playground to play.

Marty frowned at their retreating backs, walking over to the small tuft of grass in the corner by the fence and sitting.

He cried. He cried for the first time since he was diagnosed.

He knew not everyone was going to like him, but it hurt. It hurt knowing he wasn't like everyone else and people hated him for it.

❝What's wrong?❞ Young Buffy would ask the crying Marty.

❝Reed and Lester won't let me join in their games!❞ He cried.

Buffy and Marty sat next to him; they hugged him, comforted him, took care of him and since that day had been part of their little group.

They didn't judge him for being the way he was; they would label their own pencils and pens that they would bring in, just for Marty.

He had been told about colours and what colours each thing was, but he couldn't ever know what that colour looked like.

He didn't know when he fell in love with Buffy. Maybe it was that time she drew a rainbow on his hand with her highlighters, or maybe it was the time she cuddled up to him in her sleep at Cyrus' sleepover. Either way, he was hooked.

He had tried everything to get her to like him, but it just never worked.

Despite this, he still had hopes of her someday seeing him the way he sees her.

As they got older, more people wanted to become friends with them. They wanted to know what it was like for Marty to be the way he was.

Truth is, he's just like everyone else. His condition doesn't bother him anymore.

And Buffy and Cyrus were so, so proud.

And he was proud of himself too, for the first time in his life.


	13. tredecim

Buffy lived quite a normal life (well, as normal as a life of someone in a military family could be). This was up until her fourth birthday.

Her childhood before that happened was so easy, so good. While her mother was absent, her father was always there to look after her. It never filled the hole in her heart, but it made it easier to deal with a little bit.

Her mother was around a lot more when she was younger, and it was how they had become so close despite her mother being gone so long.

It was her who taught Buffy to be strong. It was her who inspired Buffy and was able to teach her that she could do anything she put her mind to.

She met Cyrus when the two were three. The girls had outcasted her because she wasn't girly enough in their opinion. So, she decided to see if the boys would let her play. But they wouldn't dare have a girl play football.

The girl had been outcasted by the other girls; she didn't like pink, or dolls, or skipping like all the other girls, and the boys wouldn't let her join in on their games, so she was alone. That girl turned out to be Buffy Driscoll, the girl who made the biggest impact on his life.

❝What are you doing in my corner?❞ Young Cyrus had asked the girl sitting in his corner; not angrily, or in annoyance, he was just genuinely confused as it was his place, no one ever sat there during the time he had used it as his place.

❝This is your corner?❞ She asked, her voice shaking.

It was obvious she had no clue he sat there, and she was clearly upset over something. He wanted to find out what that was.

❝Yes, but you can stay if you want... what's wrong?❞ He asked.

❝The girls don't want to be my friend and the boys won't let me join in.❞ She said.

❝You don't need them! They're just rude people who don't like it when things, when people are different.❞ He told her with a frown on his face.

Cyrus hugged her, and made her feel better, promising he would be friends with her. She smiled and hugged him back.

❝Thanks...❞

Buffy had met Marty after her fourth birthday, but spoke nothing of the events of that day.

It had been early in the morning, presumably around three to five am when it happened.

Buffy woke up to a loud crash, and began to cry. Running into her parents' room, the two immediately gasped, shocked, and her father picked her up as they ran downstairs.

When they turned on the light, they saw a group of men trying to steal their things. They were very much surprised, but wouldn't go down without a fight.

Buffy's parents fought them, until every last one ran away.

But Buffy still had the scar up her arm from the one who tried to stab her.

Looking at the scar always reminded her of that, so made attempts to always cover it up.

When she met Marty, she was surprised to see him in her and Cyrus' spot.

He had been outcasted by the other boys and had seeked refuge from the lonely world in their corner.

❝What's wrong?❞ Young Buffy would ask the crying Marty.

❝Reed and Lester won't let me join in their games!❞ He cried.

Buffy and Cyrus sat next to him; they hugged him, comforted him, took care of him and since that day had been part of their little group.

The three faced the world and all its challenges together, and they still do. One's struggles were the other's struggles, one's hardships were the other's hardships.

Even now, in middle school, almost ten years after Buffy and Cyrus became friends, and almost nine since Marty came, and their friendship was still going strong.

Almost ten years later she still hasn't told anyone about the events of that day.

She never really felt as if she could tell anyone about it, despite how long it's been.


	14. quattuordecim

Now, what TJ was sure about was that today was going to be a bad day. First he woke up late, and then he fell over trying to find his stick, and had gotten cereal all over his shirt. It simply wasn't shaping up to be a good day. all in all, what was going to happen later on was probably worse than what happened then.

Amber and TJ always walked to school. Obviously, this would make them even more late than TJ had, and the boy absolutely hated being late. He would have to go to the office and walk into homeroom late, with everyone staring at him, which was bad enough without the fact he would draw a lot of attention to himself for being blind anyways.

By this time, it was about a week to Halloween. TJ and Amber had already planned their outfits; everyone in their friend group had except for Marty. They had all jokingly chosen one for him, but he did not like the options. TJ wasn't too picky; he trusted Amber to pick something he would like.

As it was almost Halloween, it was around the middle of Autumn. TJ sometimes had a problem with the leaves - let's just say that leaves and walking sticks don't go well together. However, knowing how much Amber loved Autumn, he wouldn't complain. He remembers the few Autumns he had experienced before he could no longer see. He remembers how him and Amber would jump in piles of leaves, or how they'd wear matching scarves and gloves as soon as the cold weather came along. TJ's best memories were with Amber. Yes, he had good memories with his friends over the last month he had known them, but Amber was the one who was there from the beginning. She wasn't just his twin, she was his best friend and was the most trustworthy and loving person TJ had ever met.

TJ and Amber walked down the path. Amber didn't try and hurry TJ, even if he was being slow. because, you can't really blame TJ as he can't see and needs to be aided. So Amber walked alongside TJ, the two talking about the party. Andi had convinced her parents to let her hold a party at their house to celebrate Halloween, so the group of friends were all looking forward to it. Soon enough, Amber and TJ had arrived at school. Luckily enough, the two were in the same homeroom so TJ didn't feel quite as embarrassed because his sister was there being embarrassed with him.

As the day went on, it seemed to get worse - which TJ had expected, but still - and the boy was not in a good mood at all. They did not have the lesson TJ sat next to Cyrus in on that day, which made things worse. However, he got to sit by Walker and Jonah in most of them and next to Marty or Buffy two or three times. As the bell rang for lunch, and everyone headed to the canteen, the friends all sat at one table. As Cyrus' fourth lesson was halfway across the school, it took him longer to arrive. Andi and Amber were discussing this teen drama that they were currently watching, and Marty, Buffy, Walker and Jonah were talking about the basketball game that was coming up. TJ was feeling quite unhappy that he wasn't able to discuss these things with them. He planned to keep it to himself, but it did not work the way he wanted it to.

At this moment, Cyrus had arrived at the table. TJ noticed this from the choruses of ❝Hi Cyrus!❞'s that he heard. Taking a seat next to TJ, the short boy smiled, before waving and smiling. ❝Hello TJ- Are you alright? You don't look too happy...❞ And TJ snapped. ❝Why don't you ever shut up?❞ He growled, pushing Cyrus off the seat and storming off. He didn't know where he was going or what he was doing, but he was angry. Not at the world, not at Amber, not at Cyrus. Not at his friends. But mad at himself. For letting himself hurt Cyrus like that.

Cyrus had always been a faithful friend since the moment they met. He understood what TJ was going through, and in times like these he needed people like that. He ended up behind science block, even though it made him think of those times Cyrus and him went there before. It seemed like him taking his anger out on Cyrus was just another part of this horrible day - because TJ couldn't live without Cyrus. Cyrus, in the span of almost two months, had been the bestest friend TJ ever had, and he cared about Cyrus a lot. Hearing Cyrus hit the floor and start crying hurt him just as bad as it must've hurt Cyrus to be pushed over. He wanted to - no, needed - to apologize to Cyrus. But he doubted Cyrus would know where he was, or that his friends would even allow Cyrus to come near him. But eventually, the boy arrived.

Cyrus peaked around the corner seeing TJ. He was scared to take a step near TJ, which he noticed. He was close to crying; how could he ever hurt Cyrus? How could he ever let himself take his anger out on Cyrus? He stepped around the corner, sighing. Almost immediately, TJ practically flew into Cyrus' arms, throwing his own around Cyrus' neck. He began to cry, which hurt Cyrus too. Because it was his fault TJ was like this, regardless of him having a bad day or not. ❝Cyrus, I'm so sorry. I was a horrible friend and you didn't deserve it.❞ He cried. Cyrus held him close, now crying himself. ❝You are not a horrible friend, TJ. Please don't think that...❞ and TJ kissed Cyrus' forehead, and the other boy clung to him.

TJ smiled at Cyrus; his heart was full of adoration for that boy. Cyrus nuzzled against TJ, and TJ shut his eyes. All he needed was to be around Cyrus. Being around Cyrus made him happy. Hearing his voice made him happy. Cyrus Goodman made him happy just by being himself. TJ really liked when Cyrus was himself. He didn't care about what others thought of him, all that would matter in those moments were the people he was with. TJ Kippen really cared about Cyrus Goodman, and it was obvious from the constant little touches he gives him, the way he treats him, the pet names, the way he just wanted Cyrus to be happy... it was just so obvious. But not even TJ noticed it.


End file.
